Sources and scope for this page: Physical constants compiled from standard references (physical property data), covering boiling points at one standard atmosphere. No independent source check is recorded for this page: the content rests on the sources listed and on the working shown on the page. Full sources, values and limits on this page.
Page last changed 2026-11-02 · based on n/a — physical property data
Quick Answer
Boiling Points at 1 Atmosphere
| Substance[2] | Boiling point °C[2] | Boiling point °F[1] | Class[2] | Typical use or note[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helium # | -268.9 | -452.0 | Gas | Lowest boiling point of any element |
| Hydrogen # | -252.9 | -423.2 | Gas | Liquid hydrogen storage |
| Nitrogen # | -195.8 | -320.4 | Gas | Cryogenic cooling, LN2 |
| Oxygen # | -183.0 | -297.4 | Gas | Industrial and medical |
| Ammonia # | -33.3 | -27.9 | Gas | Refrigeration |
| R134a # | -26.1 | -15.0 | Refrigerant | Common automotive refrigerant |
| Propane # | -42.1 | -43.8 | Gas | LPG fuel |
| Butane # | -0.5 | 31.1 | Gas | LPG fuel |
| Water # | 100.0 | 212.0 | Liquid | At 1 atm; the reference point |
| Ethanol # | 78.4 | 173.1 | Liquid | Solvent, fuel |
| Methanol # | 64.7 | 148.5 | Liquid | Solvent, feedstock |
| Acetone # | 56.1 | 133.0 | Liquid | Solvent |
| Gasoline # | 30–200 | 86–392 | Liquid | Mixture, wide range |
| Diesel # | 180–360 | 356–680 | Liquid | Mixture, wide range |
| Ethylene glycol # | 197.3 | 387.1 | Liquid | Antifreeze, heat transfer |
| Glycerine # | 290.0 | 554.0 | Liquid | Viscous, high boiling |
| Mercury # | 356.7 | 674.1 | Metal | Liquid metal |
| Sulphur # | 444.6 | 832.3 | Non-metal | Vulcanisation |
| Lead # | 1749.0 | 3180.2 | Metal | Casting, solder |
| Aluminium # | 2470.0 | 4478.0 | Metal | Casting, extrusion |
| Silver # | 2162.0 | 3923.6 | Metal | Brazing, electrical |
| Copper # | 2562.0 | 4643.6 | Metal | Electrical, thermal |
| Iron # | 2862.0 | 5183.6 | Metal | Foundry work |
| Titanium # | 3287.0 | 5948.6 | Metal | Aerospace, chemical |
| Tungsten # | 5555.0 | 10031.0 | Metal | Highest of the metals |
Values are at one standard atmosphere (101.325 kPa). Boiling point falls as pressure falls — water boils at about 93 °C at 2,000 m elevation. Mixtures such as gasoline and diesel do not have a single boiling point; the ranges shown are distillation ranges.
Boiling Point and Pressure
Boiling is not a fixed property of a substance — it is the temperature at which vapour pressure equals the surrounding pressure. Reduce the pressure and the boiling point falls.
This is not a marginal effect. Water boils at about 93 °C at 2,000 m elevation and at 71 °C at the summit of Everest. In the other direction, a pressure cooker raises the boiling point to around 121 °C, which is why it cooks faster — and why autoclaves use the same principle to sterilise.
The engineering consequence is that a boiling point quoted without a pressure is incomplete. Values in the table are at one standard atmosphere.
Why Metals Boil So High
Metallic bonding is strong and non-directional, and boiling requires breaking every bond in the liquid to free the atoms into the gas phase — far more energy than melting, which only requires disrupting the lattice order.
The pattern across the transition metals follows the strength of that bonding: mercury, with a filled d-shell and weak metallic bonding, boils at only 357 °C, while tungsten, with half-filled d-orbitals and the strongest bonding in the series, reaches 5,555 °C — the highest of any metal and the reason it was used for incandescent filaments.
For machining, the relevant figure is usually not the boiling point but the temperature at which the material loses strength — for most metals that is a small fraction of the way to melting.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the boiling point of water?
- 100 °C (212 °F) at one standard atmosphere. It falls with altitude — about 93 °C at 2,000 m — because boiling occurs when vapour pressure matches the surrounding pressure.
- What is the boiling point of copper?
- 2,562 °C (4,644 °F). Copper is commonly melted for casting but is not boiled in normal foundry work.
- Which metal has the highest boiling point?
- Tungsten, at 5,555 °C (10,031 °F) — the highest of any metal, and the reason it was the standard incandescent lamp filament. Rhenium and osmium are next.
- Does water always boil at 100 degrees?
- No. 100 °C applies only at standard atmospheric pressure. At higher altitude it boils cooler, and under pressure it boils hotter — a pressure cooker reaches about 121 °C.
- What is the boiling point of ethanol?
- 78.4 °C (173 °F). It is lower than water, which is the basis of distillation for separating them.
- Why does gasoline not have a boiling point?
- Gasoline is a mixture of many hydrocarbons, each with its own boiling point. Rather than a single figure it has a distillation range — roughly 30 to 200 °C — over which successive components vaporise.
Related
Value Sources
References and calculation methods used for this page are listed below. Numbered markers connect table columns where present. A reference listing does not itself establish that every value has been independently checked.
| # | Source | Type | Revision / method |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | Fahrenheit conversion | derived | °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. |
| [2] | Standard physical chemistry and engineering handbook values | reference | n/a — physical constants, not a revisioned specification — source |
Data Sources
| Standard | Revision | What it covers on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Physical constants compiled from standard references | n/a — physical property data | boiling points at one standard atmosphere |
Verification scope
No page-specific independent source review is recorded here. The listed references and formulas explain the basis of the compilation; automated consistency checks do not verify the original sources or establish product conformity.
Derived values — the following values on this page are calculated, not taken directly from the standard:
| Value | How it is derived |
|---|---|
| Fahrenheit column | °C × 9/5 + 32. |
Values are at one standard atmosphere. Mixtures show distillation ranges rather than a single boiling point.
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